Sue / Keith Travels By Bicycle: June 2011

Keith on he ride from Cleveaux, Luxembourg to the town of the medieval city ofVianden. It was another hard ride, with long uphill sections to gain elevation only to find the gains lost in an all too brief descent before the next steady climb. The Ardennes, in both Belgium and Luxembourg are a punishing place to ride despite the maximum elevation only being 500m. It is said that the Schleck Brothers, of Tour de France fame, train there because of the intensity of the grades! We did it loaded!

A view of the castle of Vianden, Luxembourg. A beautiful town and a really impressive castle. Vianden is a town ringed with hills and after days of hills I was beginning to feel over-awed until the owner of our hotel suggested we ride down the Mosel river to the Rhine. Down............ didn't take much to convince me.

Leaving Vianden - the swans lead a convoy across the bridge. This was just a short distance from our hotel and set us up for what turned out to be a great days ride to the German city of Trier.

Taking a break on a bridge of the Sure River as we head to the Mosel. The left bank is Luxembourg and the right bank is Germany.

The Porta Nigra in Trier, Germany. This was the Northern Capital of the Roman Empire and the Roman structures surviving here are the largest North of the Alps.

We spent several nights in Trier and after spending one day exploring the city we then took the train to Luxembourg city which is an amazing place. A financial centre for Europe, and the world, it is a place that seems untouched by the GFC. Below is a picture of the Bank of Luxembourg - I think that Gayle Kelly would love to have her corporate office in a building such as this.

Luxembourg City was full of photo opportunities and it seemed that every few steps we were framing yet another photo.

The old city is built hight on a hill and was one of the most formidable fortresses in Europe.

A small chapel in the park below the fortress. It dates back to the time of the earliest Christians.

Sue beside the Mosel on the ride from Trier to Bernkastle-Kues. It was an inclement day, rain, wind, sunshine but with the gear to keep us warm it was a great day. In fact it was Happy Mosel Day. An annual day when the roads on the south side of the Mosel River are closed to cars and opened to cyclists. We thought, wow, look at how many people are out and about on a Sunday, regardless of the weather. But it was a special day and it was fun to have stumbled across it. Their were lots of outdoor wine bars and parties all along the way.

A typical view along the Mosel.

Bernkastle Kues - the romantic German town where we ended the days journey.

Tomorrow we continue our ride down the Mosel and in a couple of days we will be at the confluence of the Mosel and the Rhine. This was never part of our original plan but it is what we love about being on the road. We wonder where the next conversation will send us. Hope this finds you all well and happy. Drop us a note when you get a moment.

A day off, no riding today, so time to attempt the blog. With trepedation I begin, will the photos upload?

We have been away for just over two weeks but it seems like a lot longer. We picked up our new bikes in Amsterdam and are very happy with them. Mine is a lovely metallic burgundy and Keith's is a metallic green, quite nice but mine is really beautiful! All those sleepless nights wondering if I had made the right choice of color were a waste of time (lol). The Rholoff gearing system is all we had hoped it would be. The gears slip soundlessly from one the the next and the wonder is you can put them into gear while standing still, or waiting at lights etc. Germany technology - amazing.

Our route has taken us south, through Maastrick in southern NL and then into Les Ardennes in Belgium which, despite K's assurance was quite a strenous few days pedalling. But...... I made it. From Belgium we came into Luxembourg and it seems like a fairytale land. For one thing we did a lot of well earned downhill, and as soon as we crossed the border the roads improved and the cars lessened. There are lots of dedicated cycle paths in this country, they are really aiming at developing bicycle touring and we are studying maps and planning our routes through the Valley of Castles, down the Moselle Trail and doing some circling and weaving to see as much of this small paradise as we can. It is also a wonderful place for hikers and walkers from what we can see with lots of cross country routes.

So, I won't go on too much, there is not much more to add really, just hope you enjoy the photos.

The new bikes ...

This was the apartment we stayed in in Amsterdam. John and Julie Pepper joined us for a few days there and that was great. Julie had an experience with the police, but she can tell you about that.